The Panama Canal Essays (1187 words) - Macro-engineering

The Panama Canal 1. The panama canal It is the canal across the Isthmus of Panama, in Central America, that allows vessels to travel between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans The waterway measures 82 km (50 mi), including dredged approach channels at each end. The Panama Canal handles a large volume of world shipping and enables vessels to avoid traveling around South America, reducing their voyages by thousands of miles and many days Built by the United States from 1904 to 1914, the Panama Canal posed major engineering challenges The canal consists of artificially created lakes, channels, and a series of locks, or water-filled chambers, that raise and lower ships through the mountainous terrain of central Panama It was the largest and most complex project of this kind ever undertaken at that time, employing tens of thousands of workers and costing $350 million The canal cuts through the central and most populated region of Panama, and it has been a point of dispute between the governments of Panama and the United States through most of its existence. Under a 1903 treaty, the United States controlled both the waterway and a large section of the surrounding land, known as the Panama Canal Zone, riots and international pressure led the United States to negotiate two new treaties, which were signed in 1977 and took effect in 1979. The treaties recognized Panamas ultimate ownership of the canal 1. Traveling through the panama The canal consists of dredged approaches and three sets of sets of locks at each end; The canal employs about 240 highly trained and experienced pilots to handle the complex job of steering ships through the waterway. As soon as the pilot takes over, the ship is under canal jurisdiction. Very large or hard-to-maneuver ships may require two or more pilots and assistance from tugboats. The ship travels south-southeast about 7 miles and enters the first lock at Gat?n Line handlers at the lock attach steel mooring cables that are controlled by powerful electric locomotives, called mules. The mules guide the ship through the locks and steady it while the chambers are filled with water To conserve water, smaller ships often go through the locks together The entire trip through the canal takes between 8 and 10 hours plus waiting time. The canal operates 24 hours a day year-round. Each ship that travels through the canal pays a toll based on its capacity 2. Traffic volume A large volume of the worlds ships, cargo, and passengers travel through the canal every year A wide variety of general cargo vessels and specialized ships pass through the canal The most common are bulk carriers for ore, grain, and liquids; automobile carriers; container ships; refrigerated ships; tankers; liquid-gas carriers; and passenger liners Many naval vessels, fishing boats, barges, dredges, floating drydocks, and ocean-going tugs also use the canal The size of ships using the Panama Canal has steadily increased. About 27 percent of the vessels that use the canal are built to the maximum dimensions that can pass through it (a category called Panamax) However, some of the worlds commercial and military ships are too large for the canal. Since the 1940s, new U.S. battleships and aircraft carriers have been built exceeding the canals dimensions 3. Military uses The canal was built in part for military reasons, to give the U.S. Navy rapid access to both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans Many U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force bases were built in the canal zone to defend the vital channel. However, since World War II (1939-1945) the canal has been considered vulnerable to attack A single bomb or a scuttled ship could disrupt canal traffic for a long period, and the jungles along the canal could be used by guerrilla forces Therefore, the canal was considered less valuable as a military asset 4. Canal administration The canal is operated by the Panama Canal Commission, a U.S. government agency under the Department of Defense The commission was established in 1979 to manage the canal during the 20-year transition from U.S. to Panamanian control The commission manages and maintains the canal and all its related functions and equipment Tolls and other canal fees generally pay all the costs of running and